Labeling Line Features

1. Create a new Adobe Illustrator document.

2. Import torontostreetsjoined.mif from the Tutorial Data folder.

3. In the MAP Views panel, add a new MAP Layer called Street Names and set the Feature type to Text.

4. Open the Character panel by going to Window > Type > Character. Set the font to Arial. This will be the default style for the labels.  If you want to specify specific fonts/sizes, create a Character Style by going to Window > Type > Character Styles.

5. Select several streets from torontostreetsjoined_line. These are going to be labeled.

6. On the MAPublisher toolbar, click the Label Features button.

7. Only one layer is listed (torontostreetsjoined_line). In the Attribute drop-down list, choose NAME. In the Target drop-down, choose Street Names. Leave the Style as Use current settings.

The Layer column shows the line, area, point, and text layers currently containing selected data. For each layer, the Attribute drop-down list is populated with the attribute structure of that layer. Label the data based on a column that holds the appropriate attribute values.

The Label Settings tabs contain options to adjust label position, alignment to lines of latitude, minimum font sizes, and horizontal scaling to best place labels within polygons and paths. MAPublisher places line labels intelligently, depending on the curvature and length of the line string.

8. In Line Settings tab, set the Label Position option to Descender. Leave all of the other options as their default.

Labels can be modified if they exceed the length of the line with the current default font size.

9. Click the Adjust label if larger than line check box to activate the label rules.

10. Click the Reduce font size check box to reduce the size of the font to a specified minimum size in points. The default minimum font size value is set to 5 pt.

11. Click the Reduce horizontal scaling to a minimum of checkbox and set the value to 50%. This allows text to be scaled down horizontally by the fraction specified to adjust the kerning of the text.

12. Check the Set all labels to the same minimum font size check box.

If any of the labels have been adjusted in size due to the activation of a line adjustment rule, all labels can be resized to the same size. In this case, it is set to reduce to a minimum of 5 pt.

13. Make sure your dialogue box matches the graphics above and click OK to label your map.

The labels are added to the map for the streets that were selected. These labels are static and can be styled, edited, and moved.

14. Close the document without saving.

Want to follow along to this tutorial?

Please see our corresponding YouTube videos for the various MAPublisher tutorials covered in our online documentation!*

* Providing a general overview of the steps covered in this tutorial, our Labelling Line Features video tutorial will walk you through the labelling process in MAPublisher.